They stole the show
World Cup- winning women did the U. S. proud
With its run to World Cup victory, the U. S. women’s national soccer team gave the nation a thrill — and so much
more.
The team gave Americans another reason to be proud on the world stage and raised the profile of a sport that in many parts of America still lives in the shadow of football, baseball, hockey and other men’s sports. Has this team boosted women’s soccer the way a young Tiger Woods did the game of golf?
As The Guardian pointed out, the women’s team World Cup victory four years ago gave the National Women’s Soccer League — the domestic league from which some of the national team members are culled — only a temporary boost in popularity. The players certainly will do their part to sustain the momentum this time, and the teams must invest in venues and marketing to hold the fans’ interest. A new sponsorship with Budweiser and a broadcasting agreement with ESPN should help.
But the government also has a role in ensuring that women’s soccer gets the respect it deserves. Sen. Joe Manchin, D- W. Va., has introduced a bill that would prohibit the federal government from providing any funding for the 2026 men’s World Cup, to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, until the U. S. Soccer Federation agrees to provide the women’s national team members with pay equal to what those on the men’s national team receive.
In March, 28 members of the women’s team filed suit over the pay dispute. The parties are now in mediation.
Mr. Manchin introduced the legislation after receiving a letter from Nikki Izzo- Brown, West Virginia University’s head women’s soccer coach, who wrote that “this wage gap with the U. S. men’s national team has to stop.” She noted that the women’s team not only has won four titles — the men have won none — but also has brought in more money and attracted more viewers than the men. It’s difficult to argue with all of that.
John Langel, former general counsel for the U. S. Women’s National Team Players Association, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the popularity of women’s soccer has been “an evolution, not a revolution.” That’s too bad. Back- to- back World Cup victories are a lot to cheer about.